CHICAGO DISTRIBUTION CENTER BLACK HOLE!

[silverpinups]

I've had three packages held up at the Chicago Distribution Center for 5-7 days now with no other updates.  

Anyone else seeing delays in US shipments? 

[femmefan1946]

US no.

I don't track anything so I have no worries about where my items are. If there is a problem my customer will tell me.

Chicago however is a black hole in many ways.

Delays may have something to do with less air traffic passing through O'Hare at the moment.

Most passenger flights also carry cargo and there are many fewer flights and much more shipping.

AZ is telling "prime" customers that their order will take a month. This may be why.

Canada Post and USPS are more nimble.

[silverpinups]

I think sellers and buyers will have to adjust to a new norm, shipping delays, the lack of scan updates and longer deliver times.

From a seller's perspective I always look for patterns.... Since there seems to be a lack of scan updates, I'll only be able to gauge the success rate for my package deliveries through my feedback received or buyer messaging or INR claims in the future. 

Time will tell how this will play out.....

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@silverpinups 

I had a package coming from Miami 1 month ago with a tracked service.  22 scans from pick up til delivery in 10 total days.

More recent shipment from just outside of Miami. Picked up on 8th of April. arrived Miami distribution warehouse on 9th. Left Distribution center on 14th. No further scans. USPS or eBay. USPS is always  more current from past checks. Similar results with the  Canadapost website. Scans on the as of late are few and far between.  Just the usual  label creation scan...Arrival destination scan....Then out for delivery a day or 3 later. 

On another incoming shipment from Toronto it processed as arriving in Calgary on Saturday evening. Showed up in my community mailbox on Wednesday. Total time 11 days. So if you are wondering about any kind of consistency, I would say the consistency is there is no consistency...Until further notice. Staffing, lack of flights(freight moving ground when it used to go air), other reasons for re-routing or intentional reduced scans? Anyone's guess.

As for using feedback as a delivery indicator, for me those are few and far between. Last 3 months I'm under 20% received.

-Lotz

PS. Thanks for the heads up on the Chicago Distribution Center black hole. Probably where my incoming parcel is.

[silverpinups]

Yes, it's the same with incoming packages from the USA. No updates on packages for up to 10 days now... so it's happening in both directions.

It will take me about a month to figure out what the new norm is in terms of deliveries that are incoming and outgoing.... 

[ypdc_dennis]

Chicago's postal black hole reputation has existed for a long time.

In 2017 the USPS auditors found that 80% of international packages through Chicago did not meet USPS time standards.

I have an expedited parcel traveling to the USA (with Chicago as part of the normal route), so I am waiting to see how well it does.

Plus the USPS announced last Friday (April 17) that all services (except for Overnight Priority) would have a day added to expected delivery time.

-..-

[silverpinups]

Here are my last three successfully delivered shipments that were sent Tracked Packet-USA.

Shipped Apr.1/20 and successfully delivered on Apr.25/20 (25 days)

Shipped Apr.9/20 and successfully delivered on Apr.22/20 (13 days)

Shipped Apr.14/20 and successfully delivered on Apr.24/20 (10 days)

All packages went through the Chicago Distribution Center....  

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@silverpinups 

As per USPS standard "normal" times for First Class International delivery time varies from 7 to 21 days. According to my package from Miami that delivery window has been doubled to 42 days. No follow up update in 11 days.

Like Supertramp was known to sing....Take the long way home!!

-Lotz

[silverpinups]

International Packages are arriving much faster then packages going to the USA. Here are my last two successfully delivered shipments to France that were sent Tracked Packet-International.

Shipped Apr.17/20 and successfully delivered on Apr.27/20 (10 days)

Shipped Apr.20/20 and successfully delivered on Apr.27/20 (7 days)

Two packages going to the USA have no tracking updates since they were processed through Toronto on Apr.21/20 (7 days without updates). 

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@silverpinups wrote:

... Two packages going to the USA have no tracking updates since they were processed through Toronto on Apr.21/20 (7 days without updates). 

---

Expedited parcel USA

- mailed Tuesday (Apr 14) [took 2 extra days before Mississauga processed it]

- left the Mississauga sorting plant on Friday (Apr 17) for the USA

- was accepted in Chicago on Friday (Apr 24)  [7 days to fly from Canada to the USA]

- processed and released to USA on Saturday (Apr 25)

- in customer's hands on Tuesday (Apr 28) [state of Indiana, next door to Chicago]

Delivery delay of 1 week (normal expected delivery would have been Apr 21).

-..-

[reveur*]

I have one parcel for a customer stuck in Chicago currently since April 22. I have opened up a case with USPS. There are significant delays in ISC NY as well. Super frustrating.  

[femmefan1946]

One reason mail in the USA (and Canada) is normally as fast as it is, is that most passenger flights also carry mail and other cargo.

A sort of subsidy for the airline or at least something they can count on to pay for gas.

No passenger flights? No cargo space.

I'm a little surprised that airlines are not removing seats temporarily and turning their planes into cargo carriers for the post office and other shippers.  But I may be oversimplifying the logistics.

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@femmefan1946 wrote:

I'm a little surprised that airlines are not removing seats temporarily and turning their planes into cargo carriers for the post office and other shippers.  But I may be oversimplifying the logistics.

---

A number of airlines are converting some of their planes.

The main problem being that passenger compartments are designed for people getting on/off rather than for cargo easy access.

Air Canada: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-air-canada-converting-three-boeing-777s-to-cargo-only-20...

[needsmorerobots]

---

@silverpinups wrote:

I've had three packages held up at the Chicago Distribution Center for 5-7 days now with no other updates.  

Anyone else seeing delays in US shipments? 

---

Yes.

I just noticed it recently. I have a package being sent to me from the USA and it went through the distro center in Chicago. When there it took about 3-4 days before being listed as in transit to next facility.

[needsmorerobots]

Weird yet interesting development. The package that was shipped to me is still in Chicago

It arrived at the USPS International Chicago facility on April 25th, stayed 4 days then was marked as transporting to the next facility before it was marked as being brought to the same facility (unless there are two) in Chicago. And there it has stayed as of today.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@needsmorerobots 

Regarding my First class parcel it showed  arriving in Miami on the 10th of April and leaving Miami 4 days later. After no movement for 12 days  I messaged the seller and he advised me that he had many recent parcels in a major holding pattern. He started a trace on my parcel that day. The following day it magically arrived in Mtl. Was there  1 day for processing and then moved to Calgary. Delivered 2 days later with an Xpresspost label.  Seems all it takes "sometimes" is a bit of nudge to get them moving again. It never hurts to message a seller to nicely ask.

-Lotz

[needsmorerobots]

Thanks Lotz.

It's still within the realm of reasonable for shipping time. But if it's still in Chicago during the next week, I''ll contact the seller and see what he can do.

[silverpinups]

Here are my last four successfully delivered shipments that were sent Tracked Packet-USA.

Shipped Apr.20/20 and successfully delivered on May.9/20 (19 days)

Shipped Apr.20/20 and successfully delivered on May.2/20 (12 days)

Shipped Apr.24/20 and successfully delivered on May.7/20 (13 days)

Shipped Apr.27/20 and successfully delivered on May.4/20 (8 days)

Well, some are faster then others for some reason and most of them are arriving on or close to there estimated arrival times. Not bad considering there has been a major pandemic for the last few months....    

[silverpinups]

"Here are my last four successfully delivered shipments that were sent Tracked Packet-USA.

Shipped Apr.20/20 and successfully delivered on May.9/20 (19 days)

Shipped Apr.20/20 and successfully delivered on May.2/20 (12 days)

Shipped Apr.24/20 and successfully delivered on May.7/20 (13 days)

Shipped Apr.27/20 and successfully delivered on May.4/20 (8 days)

Well, some are faster then others for some reason and most of them are arriving on or close to there estimated arrival times. Not bad considering there has been a major pandemic for the last few months...."

For those of you who are interested in seeing how fast Canada Post Express Mail is right now... I shipped an expensive package last week using Xpresspost-USA to California. 

Shipped May.4/20 and successfully delivered on May.11/20 (7 days).

I shipped a package this week going to Ireland using Tracked Packet-International. I'll post the results when it arrives..... 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Does anyone else have US destined parcels from mid-April that have disappeared into some sort of black hole? I have a tracked package, last scan was April 17 from LAX on its way to NYC. No follow up. Have started a trace but have yet to hear any followup. Last word from buyer was that he still hadn't seen.

-Lotz